System and methods for searching and communication

ABSTRACT

Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, comprising the steps of, or structure for, storing a plurality of expert profiles in a database, each of the plurality of expert profiles comprising information associated with a person having knowledge in a particular category, subject or topic; receiving search criteria over a network from a query source; selecting at least one of the plurality of expert profiles comprising information that satisfy the search criteria; and transmitting expert profile data for each of the selected expert profiles to the remote search engine, the expert profile data comprising data that defines a displayable representation of a corresponding expert profile, the expert profile data further comprising data that facilitates a client-initiated, real-time communication session over the network with a person associated with the corresponding expert profile.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/711,609 filed May 13, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/500,502 filed Sep. 29, 2014, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/317,346 filed Jun.27, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/725,999 filed Mar. 17, 2010, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,805,844,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/535,539filed Aug. 4, 2009, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S.Provisional Application 61/085,992 filed Aug. 4, 2008. This applicationis also a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/500,537filed Sep. 29, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/317,346 filed Jun. 27, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/725,999 filed Mar. 17, 2010, now issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 8,805,844, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/535,539 filed Aug. 4, 2009, which claims thebenefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/085,992 filedAug. 4, 2008. All of these applications are hereby incorporated byreference in their entireties for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to computerized methods andapparatuses, including computer program products, which can interactwith standard search engines or other query sources to enable searchesfor, and establish user communications with, an expert (e.g., a personhaving knowledge in a particular category, subject or topic) over acomputerized network infrastructure.

BACKGROUND

There are various web search engines available for users to search forinformation on the World Wide Web (WWW). Some search engines operate bystoring information about web pages retrieved by a web crawler. A webcrawler is an automated web indexing program that accesses a web site,traverses through the site by following the links present on the pages,and compiles an index of those links and the information available viathe links. The compiled index is stored in a database for use by asearch engine.

When a user enters a keyword search query via a client terminal into aweb-based search engine, the search engine examines the index andcompiles a set of search results that match the keyword query. Thesearch results are usually transmitted back to the client computer forpresentation through a browser application to the user in the form of anordered listing of web pages, images, information, and other types offiles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The techniques described herein provide computer-based methods andapparatuses, including computer program products, which can interactwith standard search engines or other query sources to enable searchesfor, and establish user communications with, an expert (e.g., a personhaving knowledge in a particular category, subject or topic) over acomputerized network infrastructure.

According to one aspect, such computerized methods and apparatusesinclude the steps of, or structure for, storing a plurality of expertprofiles in a database, each of the plurality of expert profilescomprising information associated with a person having knowledge in aparticular category; receiving search criteria over a network from aquery source; selecting at least one of the plurality of expert profilescomprising information that satisfy the search criteria; andtransmitting expert profile data for each of the selected expertprofiles to the remote search engine, the expert profile data comprisingdata that defines a displayable representation of a corresponding expertprofile, the expert profile data further comprising data thatfacilitates a client-initiated, real-time communication session over thenetwork with a person associated with the corresponding expert profile.The expert profile data can further comprise data that facilitates aclient-initiated, non-real-time communication session over the networkwith the person associated with the corresponding expert profile. Thequery source can be a remote search engine, for example. The searchcriteria can be based on a search query from the remote search engine.

According to another aspect, such computerized methods and apparatusescan include the steps of, or structure for, tracking informationregarding each expert and determining a ranking of the experts and theircorresponding profiles based on such information.

According to a first embodiment, such computerized methods andapparatuses can include the steps of, or structure for, tracking, foreach of the plurality of expert profiles, revenue opportunitiescorresponding to displays of the expert profile within prior listings ofsearch results and tracking revenues realized from client-initiated,real-time communication sessions associated with one or more of therevenue opportunities; determining, for each of the plurality of expertprofiles, a ranking for the expert profile based on a ratio of therevenues realized relative to the revenue opportunities; and sorting theselected expert profiles for transmission within an ordered listing ofsearch results to the query source according to the ranking determinedfor each of the selected expert profiles.

According to a second embodiment, such computerized methods andapparatuses can include the steps of, or structure for, suchcomputerized methods and apparatuses can include the steps of, orstructure for, tracking, for each of the plurality of expert profiles,revenue opportunities corresponding to displays of the expert profilewithin prior listings of search results, tracking online revenuesrealized from client-initiated, real-time communication sessionsassociated with one or more of the revenue opportunities, and trackingoffline revenues realized from client-initiated, non-real-timecommunication sessions associated with one or more of the revenueopportunities; determining, for each of the plurality of expertprofiles, an online ranking for the expert profile associated with anonline status of the expert and an offline ranking for the expertprofile associated with an offline status of the expert, wherein theonline ranking is based on a ratio of the online revenues realizedrelative to the revenue opportunities and the offline ranking is basedon a ratio of the offline revenues realized relative to the revenueopportunities; sorting the selected expert profiles for transmissionwithin an ordered listing of search results according to one of theonline ranking and offline ranking determined for each of the selectedexpert profiles; and transmitting the data associated with the selectedexpert profiles to the query source for display within the orderedlisting of search results.

Any of the aforementioned embodiments can further include one or more ofthe following features. For example, such computerized methods andapparatuses can further include the steps of, or structure for, trackingpositions of the expert profile within the prior listings of searchresults; applying weights to the revenue opportunities associated withthe expert profile according to the tracked positions, resulting inweighted revenue opportunities that compensate for position bias; anddetermining the ranking, including online and offline rankings, for theexpert profile based on a ratio of the revenue realized relative toweighted revenue opportunities. Such computerized methods andapparatuses can further include the steps of, or structure for,shuffling the ordered listing of search results prior to transmission ofthe expert profile data, such that at least one of the selected expertprofiles is moved from a lower position within the ordered listing ofsearch results to a higher position. Online, real-time communicationsessions can comprise at least real-time chat sessions over a network,and offline, non-real-time communication sessions can comprise at leastoffline email sessions.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, illustrating the principles of theinvention by way of example only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention, as well as the invention itself, will be more fullyunderstood from the following description of various embodiments, whenread together with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates a computerized system in which anexpert search server system interacts with a remote search engineaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is flow diagram that illustrates a method in which the expertsearch server system of FIG. 1 interacts with standard search enginesenabling searches for, and establishing user communications with, anexpert over a network according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that illustrates a method for trackinginformation regarding each expert and determining a ranking of theexperts and their corresponding profiles based on such informationaccording to one embodiment;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are exemplary diagrams of charts displaying informationrelevant to expert profile selection;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary screenshot showing an experts search results pageprovided through a search engine according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary screenshot showing an experts search results pageon the expert search server through a browser according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screenshot showing an expert search serverwebpage for searching experts by category according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screenshot showing an expert profile page on anexpert search server website according to one embodiment; and

FIGS. 10A and 10B are exemplary screenshots showing expert profile pagespresented by a generic search engine communicating using ApplicationProgramming Interface (API) calls with an expert search engine accordingto one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed are embodiments of computerized methods and apparatuses,including computer program products, which can interact with standardsearch engines or other query sources to enable searches for, andestablish user communications with, an expert (e.g., a person havingknowledge in a particular category, subject or topic) over acomputerized network infrastructure.

Such embodiments can include an expert search server system that storesexpert profiles in a database that contain information associated withpersons having registered themselves with the system as experts in aparticular category, subject or topic for the purpose of providing theirknowledge as an online and/or offline service available through theexpert search server system. The expert search server system can receivesearch criteria transmitted over a computerized network infrastructure(hereinafter “network”) from various query sources, such as searchengines, operating remotely from the system. In response, the expertsearch system can analyze its database to select expert profilessatisfying the search criteria. Thereafter, the expert search systemtransmits data associated with the selected expert profiles to therespective query sources for use, including presentation of suchprofiles at the client computers.

For example, the expert profile data transmitted to the respectivesearch engines can include data that defines a displayablerepresentation (e.g., graphics and/or text) of the selected profiles fordisplay as individual results within an ordered listing of searchresults. Further the expert profile data can further include data thatfacilitates client-initiated online, real-time communication sessionsand/or offline, non-real-time communication sessions over the networkwith the corresponding experts through the system. Accordingly, theclient computer receiving such expert profile data can attempt toestablish communication on behalf of the end user with an expertidentified in the search results. Online, real-time communicationsessions can include real-time chat sessions over a network or internettelephony-based sessions, and offline, non-real-time communicationsessions can include email or text messaging.

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates a computerized system in which anexpert search server system interacts with a remote search engineaccording to one embodiment. As shown, the expert search server system102 includes one or more expert search servers 104 in communication witha database 106 and a chat engine 108. Alternatively, the chat engine 108can be replaced, or combined, with another communication serversupporting email, internet telephony, or text messaging communicationsessions, for example.

A search engine 110, operating remotely from the expert search system102, communicates with the expert search server 104 over a network, suchas the Internet. The search engine 110 can be implemented as a standalone server or as an embedded service of a web page. In particularimplementations, the search engine, in communication with the expertsearch server system 102, can provide listing of expert profiles assearch results in response to user-input search queries (e.g., Ask.com)

A computer or other computerized terminal 112 associated with an enduser (hereinafter “client computer 112”) can interact with the searchengine 110 or other query source over a network. A computer or othercomputerized terminal 114 associated with an end user that is registeredwith the expert search server 104 as an “expert” (hereinafter “expertcomputer 114”) interacts with the expert search server 104 over anetwork. The client computer 112 and the expert computer 114 can be anygeneral purpose computer, and preferably a computer that executes a webbrowsing software application. In certain embodiments, the clientcomputer 112 and/or the expert computer 112 can be any computerizeddevice, such as personal digital assistants (PDA) and mobile devices.The client computer 112 and the expert computer 114 can also communicatewith each other through the chat engine 108 or other communicationserver of the expert search system 102 for email, text messaging,internet telephony.

The database 106 can act as a central source of data, including theexpert profile information, for access by servers within the expertsearch system 102. In particular embodiments, the expert search server104 and/or chat engine 108 can cache data obtained from the database 106reducing the volume of database accesses. In such embodiments, wheneverthe expert profile information is updated on the database 106, thedatabase can cause the other servers/services, through an associatedtrigger system, to update their locally cached data to reflect thechanges made to the database 106. The triggering system (not shown) canbe a computerized application service that interfaces with the database106 and provides notifications of database changes to the servers withinthe expert search system 102. For example, the database 106 can maintainthe status of each expert registered with the expert search system 102.Accordingly, the triggering system can be configured to sendnotifications whenever there is a change to an expert's status, e.g.,online or offline and available or busy.

Other query sources, in addition to remote search engines, can be usedas well. For example, a web banner can include code that, when executedor otherwise invoked by the client computer, automatically requests anddisplays listings of expert profiles by causing transmission of ahard-coded search query to the expert search server. For example, a webbanner embedded within a web page dedicated to discussion threads andother information regarding Java programming can be used to presentaccess to experts in Java programming available for contact.

Another query source can include so-called “category pages” that presentlistings of user-selectable categories (e.g., Style & Fashion, Psychics,Java Programming etc.). In response to user selection of a categorylink, code embedded in the category page can be invoked by the clientcomputer to automatically request and display listings of expertprofiles by causing transmission of a hard-coded search query to theexpert search server.

Another query source can include various social networking sites (e.g.,Facebook™ Twitter™) through which users can post queries to their“friends” and/or “friends of friends.” For example, a social networkingsite can be configured with code, such that when a user posts a query tothe social networking site for publishing to his or her friends, thecode can be executed causing a server within the social networking siteto transmit the posted query to the expert search server, thusautomatically requesting a listing of expert profiles capable of handingsuch query for display.

Another query source can include so-called answer services, such asAardvark™ Using the Aardvark™ answer service, a user can submit aquestion to the service via an instant message or e-mail. In turn, theAardvark™ answer service identifies friends of the user, such asFacebook™ friends, that volunteer to answer the user's question.Thereafter, the answer service forwards the answer from the volunteerback to the requesting user that originally posted the question.Embodiments of the present invention can complement such answer servicesby also forwarding such queries to the expert search server, which inturn can provide the answer service with data associated with one ormore expert profiles capable of handing such query and data tofacilitate a client-initiated, communication session over the networkwith a person associated with the corresponding expert profile.Accordingly, with such information, either the answer service cantransmit the question to the expert or forward the expert profile datato the requesting user so that he or she can facilitate aclient-initiated, communication session, including email or instantmessaging, over the network with the expert.

FIG. 2 is flow diagram that illustrates a method in which the expertsearch server system of FIG. 1 interacts with standard search enginesenabling searches for, and establishing user communications with, anexpert over a network according to one embodiment.

At step 202, the expert search server 104 stores a plurality of expertprofiles in the database 106, such that each of the expert profilesincludes information associated with a person having knowledge in aparticular category, subject or topic. An end user can register as anexpert with the expert search system 102 through a user interface (notshown) presented at the expert computer 114 by the expert search server104. Upon completion of the registration process, an expert profile canbe created and stored in the database 106. In some examples, newlycreated expert profiles can be approved manually by a support teamhaving access to the expert search system 102, automatic rules in theexpert search system 102 that validate portions of the newly createdexpert profile, or any combination thereof.

The expert profile can include a expert profile identifier; the name ofthe expert; online chat address, email address and/or other contactinformation; identification of one or more categories, subjects ortopics in which the expert is knowledgeable; fee structure for servicesrendered by the expert through the system 102 (e.g., $0.50 per minutefor online chat services), and other relevant information. The expertprofile preferably includes data including executable instructionsdefining a displayable representation of the profile (e.g., graphicsand/or text describing the expert), and preferably displayable through aweb browser application executing on the client computer. The expertprofiles can also be linked to a status table that indicates the currentstatus of each expert as online or offline and available or busy, forexample.

At step 204, the expert search server 104 receives search criteria overa network from the remote search engine 110 or other query source. Inthis example, the search engine 110 generates and transmits a request tothe expert search server 104 for a list of expert profiles that satisfya search query. The expert search request can be triggered in responseto automated or manual entry of search queries into the search engine.For example, manual entry can involve the search engine receiving akeyword search query input from user via a client computer 112.Automated entry can involve the search engine being hardcoded with thedesired search query. The request for experts can include, for example,the content of the search query, requested format of expert profiles fordisplay (e.g., XML), maximum number of expert profiles, and a relevancythreshold that represents a minimum correlation between the search queryand the expert profile information.

At step 206, the expert search server selects one or more expertprofiles containing information that satisfy the search criteria. Forexample, the server can select matching profiles by referencing an indexgenerated from the expert profile information.

At step 208, the expert search server 104 transmits data associated withthe selected expert profiles to the search engine 110 for display withina listing of search results. Preferably, the expert profile datatransmitted to the search engine includes data that facilitatesclient-initiated online and/or offline sessions over the network withthe corresponding expert. Accordingly, the client computer 112 receivingsuch expert profile data through the search engine can attempt toestablish communication over the network with an expert identified inthe search results (e.g., online via chat or offline via email).

At step 210, the search engine 110 causes the display of the selectedexpert profiles at the client computer 112. In particularimplementation, the listing of expert profiles can optionally bedisplayed in combination with other search results obtained by thesearch engine 110 from other sources in response to a user search query.For example, FIG. 6 is an exemplary screenshot of search results from asearch engine, including displays of expert profiles obtained by requestfrom the expert search system, according to one embodiment.Specifically, the graphical and textual displays of expert profiles606A, 606B are presented by a third party search engine (Ask.com™) inthe search results page 600 in response to the search query 602regarding tarot cards.

As shown, each display of the expert profiles 606A, 606B includes arespective picture 608A, 608B, name of the expert 610A, 610B, and briefdescription 612A, 612B. The user selectable “More” links 614A, 614B cancause the client computer 112 to present more detailed information fromthe expert profile, such as the profiles shown in FIGS. 9 and 10A. Theuser selectable “See More Experts” link 618 can cause the search engineto issue another request to the expert search server 104 for another setof expert profiles that satisfy the search query 602, as shown in FIG.10B. The stars 620A, 620B and numerical values 622A, 622B provide anoverall rating for the expert and the number of reviews received forthis expert, respectively.

Furthermore, the display of the expert profiles can also indicate thecurrent status of the selected experts, such as online or offline andavailable or busy. For example, such status information can be presentedto the user in the form of a callback button or other selectable linkwithin the display of the expert profile. The callback button or link isuser-selectable causing the client computer 112 to establishcommunication with the corresponding expert on behalf of the end user.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the expert profile data transmittedfrom the expert search server 104 can cause the search engine to displaya “Chat With This Person Live” link 616 when the expert is online andavailable. By selecting the “Chat With This Person Live” link 616, theuser of the search engine website 604 can establish an online chatsession over the network with the expert associated with the expertprofile 606A in real-time between their respective computers 112, 114through the chat engine 108 of the expert search system 102.Alternatively, where an expert's status is offline and thus the expertis not available for communication at that time, the expert profile datatransmitted from the expert search server 104 can cause the searchengine to display an “Email This Person Now” link 618. Accordingly, theclient can engage in an offline, non-real-time email session with theexpert.

In order for an expert to engage in online, real-time chat communicationsessions, an expert can download and install on its expert computer 114software referred to herein as an expert messenger application. Anexpert can obtain the software from the expert search server 104 at thetime the expert registers with the system 102. Alternatively the expertmessenger application is implemented with code supported by standard webbrowsers, such as a flash application code, avoiding the need toseparately download and install such additional software.

An expert can be considered online if they are logged into the chatengine 108. For example, upon execution at the expert computer 114, theexpert messenger application establishes a communication link over thenetwork to the chat engine 108 and then transmits a message notifyingthe chat engine 108 that the expert is online and available to acceptchat requests through the system 102. Conversely, when the expert chatmessenger application is closed, the expert is logged off the chatengine 108 and the database 106 is updated to indicate the status of theexpert as offline and thus not available to chat with end users.Particular implementations of the expert messenger application can alsoenable an expert to initiate transmission of messages to the chat engine108 indicating his or her status. In turn, the chat engine 108, eitherdirectly or indirectly through the expert search server 104, can updatethe current status associated with the corresponding expert profile inthe database 106 to indicate the expert's current status.

Once the user selects the callback button associated with an expertprofile to initiate the chat, the client computer 112 executes a clientchat application that presents a chat window through which tocommunicate with the expert. The chat window can be displayed integralto, or a separate from, the page from which the expert search queryoriginated. Preferably, users are not required to separately download orinstall any communication software on their client computers 112. Ratherthe client chat application preferably includes code supported bystandard web browsers, such as a flash application code.

The client chat application then directs the client computer 112 to senda request to the chat engine 108 in order to open a unique TCP socketconnection over which to communicate with the desired expert. The chatengine 108 includes communication logic necessary to facilitatecommunication between client and expert computers. In response, the chatengine 108 sends a message over the network to the expert computer 114notifying the expert messenger application of the user's chat request.Once accepted, preferably all communications between the client computer112 and the expert computer 114 occur through the chat engine 108 viaTCP socket connections. In other words, the client chat application andthe expert messenger application communicate over separate TCP socketsconnections to the chat engine 108, and the chat engine 108, in turn,delivers such communications over the appropriate destination TCP socketconnections to the respective client and expert computers 112, 114. Suchcommunications between the client and the expert can be encrypted topreserve the confidentiality of the conversation.

In particular embodiments, the expert search system 102 can optionallyrequire user registration and/or payment authorization in advance ofestablishing the chat session with the expert through the chat engine108. For example, first-time users can be required to create a useraccount prior to gaining access to experts over the expert search system102. Users requesting services from particular experts can also berequired to remit or configure payment in advance prior to communicatingwith the expert.

According to another aspect, such computerized methods and apparatusescan include the steps of, or structure for, tracking informationregarding each expert, determining a ranking of the experts and theircorresponding profiles based on such information, and sorting the expertprofiles according to their determined prior to transmission to a remotesearch engine or other query source.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that illustrates a method for trackinginformation regarding each expert and determining a ranking of theexperts and their corresponding profiles based on such informationaccording to one embodiment. At step 302, the expert search server 104tracks revenue opportunities for each of the plurality of expertprofiles and revenues realized from such revenue opportunities. At step304, the expert search server 104 determines a ranking for each of theselected expert profiles based on a ratio of the revenues realizedrelative to the revenue opportunities. At step 306, the expert searchserver 104 sorts the selected expert profiles according to the rankingdetermined for each profile. In step 308, the expert search server 104can transmit the selected expert profiles to the remote search engineserver 110 or other query source for display within an ordered listingof search results.

Tracking of Revenue Opportunities and Realized Revenues

A revenue opportunity is preferably associated with a user view of anexpert profile. An expert profile can be deemed viewed by a user in theevent that data associated with the expert profile is transmitted to thesearch engine or other query source for display. For example, particularquery sources can enable a user to conduct a search for experts throughin a particular category (e.g., “Style & Fashion”). Each time a userselects the category for Style & Fashion, data associated with a list ofexpert profiles matching that category is transmitted from the expertsearch server 104 to the query source for presentation to the end userfor display. As a result, each expert having profile data transmittedfor display within a corresponding listing of search results is deemedto have experienced a revenue opportunity. Accordingly, for each revenueopportunity, the expert search server 104 updates the informationassociated with the respective expert profiles in the database 106 byincrementing a count representing the number of revenue opportunities(hereinafter “a revenue opportunity count”).

The expert search server 104 can also preclude certain user views of anexpert profile in certain contexts from the revenue opportunity count.For example, in some implementations of the expert search system 102, aregistered user can be given access to a personal page (e.g., “MyExperts” page) in which to maintain displays of desired expert profiles.Accordingly, user views of profiles in this context are preferably notincluded in the revenue opportunity count. Likewise, the revenueopportunity count is preferably not incremented multiple times tocorrespond to multiple views of an expert profile resulting from, forexample, a user navigating from a search results page to a pageproviding more detailed information regarding the expert (e.g., byselecting the “More” link 614A, 614B as shown in FIG. 6). Rather, suchthe revenue opportunity count is incremented once to represent thisscenario as a single revenue opportunity.

Additional information associated with a revenue opportunity can also betracked. For example, the tracked information can further include, theprofile identifier of the expert profile, the current status of theexpert (e.g., online or offline), a timestamp corresponding to thedisplay of the expert profile within a listing of search results (andthus viewing of the expert profile), position of the expert profile inthe listing, context in which the expert profile is displayed (e.g.,category pages, banners, query-based search results pages), a categoryidentifier (if the context is a category page), a banner identifier (ifthe context is a banner), and/or a search query (if the context is asearch results page based on user query).

The position in the list refers to the actual position of the expertprofile as displayed within a listing of search results. For example, ifthe expert profile is displayed on the second category results page inthe fourth position, and ten results are displayed per page, theposition in the list for the expert profile is fourteen. Paginationrefers to the number of results per page in the context that the expertprofile was displayed. For example, a category page can be configured todisplay ten profiles per page, so the pagination is recorded as ten.However, for a banner embedded within a web page, the number of expertsto return in a page may be variable and will need to be recordedindividually for each banner.

Revenues can be realized from real-time and/or non-real-timecommunication sessions with a client in response to such revenueopportunities. Online, real-time communication sessions can includereal-time chat sessions over a network or internet telephony-basedsessions; and offline, non-real-time communication sessions can includeemail or text messaging.

With respect to online, real-time chat communication sessions, forexample, between a user of the client computer 112 and an expert of theexpert computer 114, the chat engine 102 can map an identifierassociated with the particular chat session to a corresponding expertprofile, such that revenues generated from session and other trackingdata can be stored in the database 106 for the expert profile.

With respect to non-real-time email communication sessions, the expertsearch server 104 providing a mail service or a separate mail server(not shown) within the system 102 can manage local email accounts on thedatabase 106 for the respective experts. For example, when a userselects link 618 to email a corresponding expert, the client computer112 is redirected to the mail service of the expert search server 104 ora separate mail server (not shown). A user interface can be displayed atthe client computer 112 through which the user can write and submit amessage directly to the expert's email account in the system 102.Preferably, the user interface comprises one or more forms through whichthe user can negotiate and/or accept a fee for the expert's services.When the user accepts the expert fee by clicking on an “Accept” buttonin a form, for example, the expert search server 102 is notified andthereafter updates the database 106, such that the fee along with otherinformation tracked for the particular email session is added to thecorresponding expert profile. Once submitted, the mail service/serverstores the email message in the expert's email account that ismaintained at the database 106. In turn, the expert search server 102notifies the expert of the incoming email by sending notificationthrough the expert messenger application or a third party email account(e.g., Yahoo™). To obtain the email, the expert can log into the mailservice/server and retrieve the message from his or her email account. Auser interface can be displayed at the expert computer 112 through whichthe expert can write and submit an email message to the end usercustomer. Preferably, the user interface for the expert can also provideone or more forms through which the expert can negotiate a fee for hisor her expert services with the end user.

The following example is a typically use case.

-   (1) A user views page one of a category of experts containing ten    experts.-   (2) The user continues to page two of the category which contains    another ten experts.-   (3) The user clicks on a selectable link to initiate a real-time or    non-real-time communication session with the expert in position    fifteen.-   (4) The user establishes a communication session with the expert,    hires the expert according to a particular fee or rate, and    subsequently purchases $30 worth of assistance.

In this example, the tracking data, including the revenue generated fromthe session (i.e., $30 worth of revenue), is stored in the database 106and associated with information regarding the corresponding revenueopportunity (e.g., view of the expert profile on the category page). Theexpert search server 104, by tracking revenue opportunities and anyrevenue realized from the revenue opportunities, facilitates attributionof the $30 revenue yield to the user view of the expert profile and alsotracks the lack of realized revenue to the other nineteen expertprofiles considered to have received a revenue opportunity.

Determining a Ranking for Each of the Selected Expert Profiles

With respect to step 304, the expert search server 104 determines aranking for each of the selected expert profiles based on a ratio of therevenues realized relative to the tracked revenue opportunities as showin Equation 1:

ranking metric=revenue/revenue opportunities (1)

Such ranking can be implemented according to a number of embodiments.

According to a first embodiment, the expert search server 104 determinesa ranking for each expert profile based on total revenues realized bythe expert from all communication sessions relative to the total numberof revenue opportunities. Certain revenue and revenue opportunities canbe excluded from the ranking calculation. For example, chat or emailsessions that are initiated with an expert from pages that are eitherbookmarked or otherwise stored by a user for direct access to the expertare preferably not considered revenue opportunities and thus notincluded in the calculation of the ranking metric.

According to a second embodiment, the expert search server 104 candetermine an online ranking and an offline ranking for each expertprofile based on respective revenues realized by the expert from online,real-time communication sessions and offline, non-real-timecommunication sessions relative to the total number of revenueopportunities (or relative to the respective numbers of revenueopportunities corresponding to the expert having an online and offlinestatus).

Accordingly, by determining separate online and offline rankings for anexpert, a ranking algorithm that is designed to rank experts having anonline status higher than experts having an offline status can becompensated. For example, in a system that ranks online experts higherthan offline experts, an expert may log into the expert search system102 to obtain an online status for the sole purpose of gaining a higherranking, even though they do not accept live chats other than to pushusers into offline sessions. Accordingly, this second embodiment canavoid such situations by having the expert search server 104 determinean online ranking and an offline ranking for all experts. As a result,the experts are ranked according to the actual methods of communicationdespite their current status as either online or offline. For example,if Expert A, who is currently offline, has a higher offline ranking thanExpert B's online ranking, Expert A Offline is preferably ranked higherthan Expert B, who is currently online.

In particular implementations, the second embodiment can be modified tohandle the special case in which an expert's offline ranking is greaterthan his or her online ranking. In this special case, the expert searchserver 102 can be configured to rank the expert according to his or hergreater offline ranking even if the expert's current status is online(e.g., if (offline rank>online rank) then online rank=offline rank).

According to a third embodiment, the expert search server 104 candetermine a ranking that accounts for position bias associated with thedisplay of expert profiles in prior listings of search results.Specifically, for each of the selected expert profiles, the expertsearch server 104 can determine a ranking based on a ratio of therevenues realized relative to the tracked revenue opportunities, suchthat each of revenue opportunities is weighted to account for positionbias associated with the display of the expert profile within priorlistings of search results.

Position bias refers to the tendency of users to commonly select the topsearch result provided in a listing of search results despite thequality of the underlying content. Furthermore, once a user identifies asatisfactory result, they typically do not continue down the list ofsearch results. As a result, the display of an expert profile isinherently biased according to its position within a listing of searchresults, thus limiting the effectiveness of the revenue opportunity forthat expert. Accordingly, it is preferably to compensate or otherwiseadjust the ranking of expert profiles that are repeatedly placed loweron a search results page by applying a weight to each revenueopportunity according to the display position of the expert profilewithin prior search result listings. As a result, a revenue opportunityin which the expert profile is displayed towards the top of a listing ofsearch results can be weighted less than revenue opportunities in whichthe expert profile is displayed towards the bottom of a listing ofsearch results. Alternatively, a revenue opportunity in which the expertprofile is displayed towards the bottom of a listing can be weightedmore than revenue opportunities in which the expert profile is displayedtowards the top of the listing.

For example, as shown in chart 400 of FIG. 4, the top 10 expertspresented on a first search page will usually all have similarly highvalues (e.g., quality values, click-through values, etc.). However,because the experts are presented in descending order from number 1through number 10, a user may tend to pick from the experts in thetopmost positions. This is because the user generally considers theexperts in the top few positions to be the best results for theirparticular query. In another example, users may not consider expertsbeyond the first expert to be of sufficiently high enough quality. As aresult, experts at the top of the list experience disproportionatelyhigher click-through rates as shown in chart 500 of FIG. 5. Accordingly,as part of the ranking determination step, the expert search server 104can use click through rates recorded as additional tracking data toadjust the revenue opportunity count of each expert page view to followthe curve of FIG. 5. As a result, the value of the revenue opportunityrecorded for the experts in the topmost positions can be higher than thevalue for those further down the page, compensating for the expert'splacement.

Sorting the Identified Expert Profiles According to the DeterminedRanking

With respect to step 306, sorting can be accomplished in a number ofembodiments.

According to a first embodiment, experts can be sorted from highest tolowest based on their ranking metric obtained from Equation 1.

According to a second embodiment, experts can be sorted to avoidover-ranking so-called “outliers.” For example, if an Expert A makes$300 from one chat session resulting from one revenue opportunity (e.g.,one profile view), then Expert A's revenue per opportunity is $300.Likewise, if Expert B makes $30,000 from 200 chat sessions resultingfrom 10,000 revenue opportunities (e.g., profile views), Expert B'srevenue per opportunity is $3. Based on this calculation alone, Expert Ais a higher ranking expert than Expert B. However, whereas Expert B hasrealized significantly more revenue relative to a significantly greaternumber of revenue opportunities, Expert B is more likely a moreexperienced, if not better, expert than Expert A. In order toaccommodate for such disparity, the range of ranking metrics determinedin step 304 can be weighted to incorporate statistical significance.Specifically, when calculating a range of ranking metrics at aconfidence interval of, for example, 95%, the weighting can be adjustedto err on the lower bound of the range, which can advantageously preventusers with lower volumes of revenue opportunities from being ranked toohigh.

For example, the actual earning potential for an expert can bedetermined with a certain confidence level as follows. The inputs tothis calculation preferably include a confidence level that represents adegree of certainty to which a statistical prediction (e.g., mean value)can be trusted, a sample size that represents the current number ofprofile views (earning opportunities), a mean value that represents theaverage value earned per profile view and a standard deviation valuethat represents the dispersion of the overall data set (e.g. individualfees collected by the expert from the paid sessions). Thus, for aconfidence level of 95%, a sample size of 10, a mean value of $50 and astandard deviation of $20, a standard score can be calculated using anystandard statistical techniques known to one skilled in the art.Thereafter, the actual earning potential for the expert can bedetermined using the formula:

Mean±Standard Score (Standard Deviation/√ Sample Size)

For the present example, the actual earning potential for this experthas a 95% probability of being between ±$12.40 the mean of $50, and thusa range of $37.60 to $62.40 (i.e. $50±1.96061215 ($20/√10)).

In order to be conservative with the experts presented to the user, the$37.6 estimate can be used to rank experts. To show how the precedingcalculation can benefit experts with more views, by changing the numberof expert profile views should from 10 to 100 in the previous example,the range of the potential earning opportunity value increases to$46.08-$53.92. Advantageously, the potential earning opportunity valueis directly correlated to the number of expert profile views.

According to a third embodiment, the expert search server 104 canfurther sort the ordered listing of expert profiles by shuffling, suchthat at least one of the identified expert profiles is moved from alower position within the ordered listing of expert profiles to a higherposition. As described above, the position of an expert profile within alist of search results can bias the number of times the expert profileis selected by a user per view. By randomly shuffling an expert profileto the top, the shuffled expert profile can be compensated for positionbias, and is given a better chance of being selected for hire by an enduser.

In a particular implementation, the expert search server 104 can selectone slot on each channel's display of experts, and shuffle in an expertrandomly from lower in the stack. For example, page one of a categoryview on the website may display the experts as shown below:

-   List Position 1—Expert Ranked #1-   List Position 2—Expert Ranked #2-   List Position 3—Expert Ranked #3-   List Position 4—Expert Ranked #4-   List Position 5—Expert Ranked #5-   List Position 6—Expert Ranked #132-   List Position 7—Expert Ranked #6-   List Position 8—Expert Ranked #7-   List Position 9—Expert Ranked #8-   List Position 10—Expert Ranked #9

Advantageously, the expert Ranked #132 is shuffled into the listposition 6, which gives the expert a better revenue opportunity. Incases with fewer slots, for example, such as an implementation with onlytwo expert slots, a lower ranked expert can be rotated into one of thetwo slots a certain percentage of page queries. For example, a lowerranked expert can be rotated into one of the two slots on 20% of pageviews. In some implementations, the lower ranked (or shuffled) expert isnot inserted into the first few positions (e.g., not into the first orsecond position) to keep the top-most experts within the first fewpositions since they have a strong revenue history. In someimplementations, a random spot from the lower positions (e.g., positionsthree through ten) is selected, and the lower ranked expert is insertedinto the selected position. Advantageously, such random noise can bepurposefully included in the sorting algorithm to give more revenueopportunities to less-frequently displayed experts.

With further respect to step 308, the data associated with the selectedexpert profiles and transmitted to the remote search engine server 110can include data, such as executable instructions, that facilitate thereal-time and non-real-time communication sessions over the network withthe expert corresponding to the profile. The expert search server 104can transmit executable instructions to the remote search engine server110, where the executable instructions define a manner of displaying theidentified expert profiles.

The following discussion relates to FIGS. 7-10B which illustrate variousscreenshot provided by one or more embodiments of the systems, methodsand computer apparatus as disclosed herein.

FIG. 7 is a screenshot showing an experts search results page 700 froman expert search engine (e.g., the expert search server 104, such as theLivePerson website) through a browser. In this embodiment, the usernavigates from a generic search engine (e.g., Ask™) to the “searchexperts” page 702 retrieved from the expert search engine. From thesearch experts page 702 a user has several ways to search for experts.The user can select a particular category (sometimes referred to as achannel) from the list of categories 704 (see FIG. 8). Or the user canissue a keyword search to identify experts. As shown in FIG. 7, the userentered the keyword search “how to read tarot cards?” 706. The expertssearch results page 700 is generated by the expert search engine basedon the keyword search 706. A user can search using any keywords, and theresults displayed in the experts search results page 700 match theuser's keywords search 706. As another example, a user can search forexperts on “sports” and a listing of experts which are related to thekeyword “sports” can be displayed on the experts search results page700.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screenshot showing a LivePerson expert searchserver webpage 800 for searching for experts by category. The categorythe user selected is “Shopping & Style” 802. In addition to searchingcategories, the user can also browse topics 804 within a particularcategory. The results for the category 802 selected by the user aredisplayed within the list 806, and include “mini” expert profiles 808Athrough 808E (which are described with reference to FIG. 6).

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screenshot showing an expert profile page 900 onthe expert search server website (e.g., the LivePerson website)according to one embodiment. The expert profile page 900 includes apicture 902, a name 904, an expert category or topic 906, an expertrating 908, profile information 910, and contact pricing information foronline chat prices 912 and offline communication prices 914. The statusof the expert is indicated as away 916. A user viewing the expertprofile page 900 can click the send email button 918 to send an email tothe expert. If, for example, the user status was online instead of away,the user would also be presented with a contact live now button tofacilitate an online chat session with the expert.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are exemplary screenshots showing expert profile pagespresented by a generic search engine (e.g., search engine server 110)communicating using API calls with an expert search engine (e.g., expertsearch server 104) according to one embodiment. FIG. 10A shows a fullexpert profile 1000 on the Ask™ search engine website 1002. The fullexpert profile 1000 includes the same information as described with theexpert profile page 900 of FIG. 9. FIG. 10B shows a list 1050 of miniexpert profiles 1052A through 1052F on the Ask™ search engine website1054. The list 1050 was generated by the expert search engine inresponse to the search query “how to read tarot cards?” 1056 executed bythe user on the Ask™ search engine website 1052.

The above-described techniques can be implemented in digital and/oranalog electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware,software, or in combinations of them. The implementation can be as acomputer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied ina machine-readable storage device, for execution by, or to control theoperation of, a data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmableprocessor, a computer, and/or multiple computers. A computer program canbe written in any form of computer or programming language, includingsource code, compiled code, interpreted code and/or machine code, andthe computer program can be deployed in any form, including as astand-alone program or as a subroutine, element, or other unit suitablefor use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one or moresites.

Method steps can be performed by one or more processors executing acomputer program to perform functions of the invention by operating oninput data and/or generating output data. Method steps can also beperformed by, and an apparatus can be implemented as, special purposelogic circuitry, e.g., a FPGA (field programmable gate array), a FPAA(field-programmable analog array), a CPLD (complex programmable logicdevice), a PSoC (Programmable System-on-Chip), ASIP(application-specific instruction-set processor), or an ASIC(application-specific integrated circuit). Subroutines can refer toportions of the computer program and/or the processor/special circuitrythat implement one or more functions.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital or analog computer.Generally, a processor receives instructions and data from a read-onlymemory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of acomputer are a processor for executing instructions and one or morememory devices for storing instructions and/or data. Memory devices,such as a cache, can be used to temporarily store data. Memory devicescan also be used for long-term data storage. Generally, a computer alsoincludes, or is operatively coupled to receive data from or transferdata to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data,e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. A computer canalso be operatively coupled to a communications network in order toreceive instructions and/or data from the network and/or to transferinstructions and/or data to the network. Computer-readable storagedevices suitable for embodying computer program instructions and datainclude all forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, including by wayof example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., DRAM, SRAM, EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal harddisks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks,e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray disks. The processor and the memorycan be supplemented by and/or incorporated in special purpose logiccircuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, the above described techniquescan be implemented on a computer in communication with a display device,e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube), plasma, or LCD (liquid crystal display)monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and apointing device, e.g., a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, or a motionsensor, by which the user can provide input to the computer (e.g.,interact with a user interface element). Other kinds of devices can beused to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example,feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input fromthe user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, and/ortactile input.

The above described techniques can be implemented in a distributedcomputing system that includes a back-end component. The back-endcomponent can, for example, be a data server, a middleware component,and/or an application server. The above described techniques can beimplemented in a distributed computing system that includes a front-endcomponent. The front-end component can, for example, be a clientcomputer having a graphical user interface, a Web browser through whicha user can interact with an example implementation, and/or othergraphical user interfaces for a transmitting device. The above describedtechniques can be implemented in a distributed computing system thatincludes any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-endcomponents.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and aserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

The components of the computing system can be interconnected by any formor medium of digital or analog data communication (e.g., a communicationnetwork). Examples of communication networks include circuit-based andpacket-based networks. Packet-based networks can include, for example,the Internet, a carrier internet protocol (IP) network (e.g., local areanetwork (LAN), wide area network (WAN), campus area network (CAN),metropolitan area network (MAN), home area network (HAN)), a private IPnetwork, an IP private branch exchange (IPBX), a wireless network (e.g.,radio access network (RAN), 802.11 network, 802.16 network, generalpacket radio service (GPRS) network, HiperLAN), and/or otherpacket-based networks. Circuit-based networks can include, for example,the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a private branch exchange(PBX), a wireless network (e.g., RAN, bluetooth, code-division multipleaccess (CDMA) network, time division multiple access (TDMA) network,global system for mobile communications (GSM) network), and/or othercircuit-based networks.

Devices of the computing system and/or computing devices can include,for example, a computer, a computer with a browser device, a telephone,an IP phone, a mobile device (e.g., cellular phone, personal digitalassistant (PDA) device, laptop computer, electronic mail device), aserver, a rack with one or more processing cards, special purposecircuitry, and/or other communication devices. The browser deviceincludes, for example, a computer (e.g., desktop computer, laptopcomputer) with a world wide web browser (e.g., Microsoft® InternetExplorer® available from Microsoft Corporation, Mozilla® Firefoxavailable from Mozilla Corporation). A mobile computing device includes,for example, a Blackberry®. IP phones include, for example, a Cisco®Unified IP Phone 7985G available from Cisco System, Inc, and/or a Cisco®Unified Wireless Phone 7920 available from Cisco System, Inc.

One skilled in the art will realize the invention may be embodied inother specific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialcharacteristics thereof. The foregoing embodiments are therefore to beconsidered in all respects illustrative rather than limiting of theinvention described herein. Scope of the invention is thus indicated bythe appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

1. (canceled)
 2. A computer-implemented method, comprising: storing, by an agent server, topic data and agent data in a database; associating, by the agent server, topic data with one or more agents, wherein agents are active or inactive, wherein agents are relevant or irrelevant to the topic data, and wherein agents are relevant when a topic included in one or more profiles of one or more relevant agents matches the topic data; associating, by the agent server, one or more interaction options with active relevant agents; determining, by the agent server, status data, wherein the status data is stored in the database, and wherein the status data corresponds to active relevant agents associated with one or more interaction options and the topic data; receiving an agent search request at the agent server, wherein the agent search request is generated in response to information being posted to a published information feed, wherein the information posted to the published information feed does not include a request for an agent, and wherein the agent search request includes the topic data and is used to determine active agents relevant to the topic data; determining, by the agent server using the status data, whether any agents relevant to the topic data are active; transmitting, by the agent server, data associated with an interactive element, wherein the interactive element is associated with an active agent relevant to the topic data, wherein the interactive element is associated with the published information feed by a network server, wherein the interactive element is separate from the information posted to the published information feed, and wherein the interactive element is displayed with the information posted to the published information feed; and receiving, by the agent server, data corresponding to a selection of the interactive element associated with the published information feed, wherein the selected interactive element is associated with one or more agents based on the status data, wherein the selection of the interactive element facilitates an interaction option among two or more devices, and wherein at least one device is associated with the active agent relevant to the topic data.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the published information feed is an information feed of a social networking website.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the published information feed is a discussion thread of a website.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the status data is dynamically modifiable.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the status data is active or inactive, wherein the status data is active when a relevant agent associated with the topic is active, and wherein the status data is inactive when a relevant agent associated with the topic is inactive.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more interaction options include communication logic configured to facilitate a real-time communication session.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein real-time communication sessions include text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein an agent corresponds to an individual, and wherein when a relevant agent is active, the individual is available, and wherein when a relevant agent is inactive, the individual is unavailable.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein an available individual is an individual that is available for a real-time communication session including text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.
 11. The method of claim 2, wherein when a relevant agent associated with the topic data is active, corresponding status data is generated.
 12. A system including an agent server, comprising: a processor; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including: storing topic data and agent data in a database; associating topic data with one or more agents, wherein agents are active or inactive, wherein agents are relevant or irrelevant to the topic data, and wherein agents are relevant when a topic included in one or more profiles of one or more relevant agents matches the topic data; associating one or more interaction options with active relevant agents; determining status data, wherein the status data is stored in the database, and wherein the status data corresponds to active relevant agents associated with one or more interaction options and the topic data; receiving an agent search request at the agent server, wherein the agent search request is generated in response to information being posted to a published information feed, wherein the information posted to the published information feed does not include a request for an agent, and wherein the agent search request includes the topic data and is used to determine active agents relevant to the topic data; determining, using the status data, whether any agents relevant to the topic data are active; transmitting data associated with an interactive element, wherein the interactive element is associated with an active agent relevant to the topic data, wherein the interactive element is associated with the published information feed by a network server, wherein the interactive element is separate from the information posted to the published information feed, and wherein the interactive element is displayed with the information posted to the published information feed; and receiving data corresponding to a selection of the interactive element associated with the published information feed, wherein the selected interactive element is associated with one or more agents based on the status data, wherein the selection of the interactive element facilitates an interaction option among two or more devices, and wherein at least one device is associated with the active agent relevant to the topic data.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the published information feed is an information feed of a social networking website.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the published information feed is a discussion thread of a website.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the status data is active or inactive, wherein the status data is active when a relevant agent associated with the topic is active, and wherein the status data is inactive when a relevant agent associated with the topic is inactive.
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more interaction options include communication logic configured to facilitate a real-time communication session.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein real-time communication sessions include text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.
 18. The system of claim 12, wherein when a relevant agent associated with the topic data is active, corresponding status data is generated.
 19. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of an agent server, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to: store topic data and agent data in a database; associate topic data with one or more agents, wherein agents are active or inactive, wherein agents are relevant or irrelevant to the topic data, and wherein agents are relevant when a topic included in one or more profiles of one or more relevant agents matches the topic data; associate one or more interaction options with active relevant agents; determine status data, wherein the status data is stored in the database, and wherein the status data corresponds to active relevant agents associated with one or more interaction options and the topic data; receive an agent search request at the agent server, wherein the agent search request is generated in response to information being posted to a published information feed, wherein the information posted to the published information feed does not include a request for an agent, and wherein the agent search request includes the topic data and is used to determine active agents relevant to the topic data; determine, using the status data, whether any agents relevant to the topic data are active; transmit data associated with an interactive element, wherein the interactive element is associated with an active agent relevant to the topic data, wherein the interactive element is associated with the published information feed by a network server, wherein the interactive element is separate from the information posted to the published information feed, and wherein the interactive element is displayed with the information posted to the published information feed; and receive data corresponding to a selection of the interactive element associated with the published information feed, wherein the selected interactive element is associated with one or more agents based on the status data, wherein the selection of the interactive element facilitates an interaction option among two or more devices, and wherein at least one device is associated with the active agent relevant to the topic data.
 20. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the published information feed is an information feed of a social networking site.
 21. The computer-program product of claim 19, wherein the published information feed is a discussion thread of a website. 